THIS WAS THE THIRD SUCH VIOLATION IN THE PAST 24 HOURS

JAMMU : Pakistan on Tuesday shelled Indian posts along the Line of Control (LoC) in Bhimber Gali sector of Rajouri district in Jammu and Kashmir, prompting India to retaliate in equal measure.

This was the third such violation in the past 24 hours. Rajouri is 150 kms northwest of Jammu.

Defence spokesperson Lt Col Manish Mehta said Pakistani troops opened unprovoked firing at 11am on Tuesday on Indian Army posts along the LoC in Bhimber Gali sector in Rajouri.

He informed that Pakistan resorted to “indiscriminate” firing of small arms, automatic weapons and also shot 82 mm mortars.

Indian Army posts retaliated strongly and the gun battle stopped at around 11:50 am, he added.

In March, Pakistan had violated the truce four times along the LoC in Poonch district.

On Monday, Pakistan fired and shelled forward posts in Poonch and Rajouri districts of J&K.

Reports of exchange of firing between the armed forces of the two countries are routine along the LoC.

Both the countries accuse each other of repeatedly violating a 2003 ceasefire.

There have been several instances of cross-border firings and terrorist infiltrations within the country from Pakistan.

On Saturday, a Junior Commissioned Officer, Naib Subedar S Sanayaima, was killed in an IED blast in Degwar sector of Poonch district.

In 2016, as many as 228 instances of ceasefire violations along the LoC were reported.

Furthermore, there were 221 instances of ceasefire violations along the International Border (IB).

Iran upset at Raheel Sharif heading Saudi military alliance

ISLAMABAD: Iran has expressed reservations about the appointment of former Pakistan Army chief Gen Raheel Sharif as head of the Islamic Military Alliance created by Saudi Arabia, prompting Islamabad to step up efforts to assuage Tehran.

“We are concerned about this issue…that it may impact the unity of Islamic countries,” Mehdi Honardoost, Iran’s envoy to Pakistan, said. This was the first time Iran publicly expressed its displeasure on the issue.

Pakistan contacted Iranian officials before issuing a no-objection certificate to Sharif to take up the position of head of the 39-nation military alliance, but this “did not indicate that Iran was satisfied with this decision or it had accepted the same”, Honardoost was quoted as saying by state-run IRNA news agency.

Defence minister Khawaja Asif had earlier said the Pakistan government had cleared Sharif to take up the job following a formal request from Saudi Arabia.

Islamabad’s decision is set to further complicate fraught Pakistan-Iran relations, especially at a time when Saudi Arabia and Iran are jockeying for influence in the Middle East.

Foreign secretary Tehmina Janjua said on Tuesday the alliance wasn’t against any country and Sharif will not act against Iran. She told a parliamentary committee on foreign affairs: “The Islamic alliance is against terrorism, not any country.” She said Pakistan is making efforts to reduce tensions between Saudi Arabia and Iran. “It is difficult for Pakistan to maintain equal relations with both countries but Pakistan will not go against Iran’s interests,” she said.

Pakistani officials confirmed they intend to reach out to Iran to address their concerns. Officials told the media that Pakistan has informed Saudi Arabia that it would not become part of any campaign against any country, including Iran. Members of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) that opposed India joining on procedural grounds “are now on board”, a German diplomatic source said.

The NSG consultative committee discussing Indian membership is currently holding proceedings. “Germany supports its proceedings,” the source said.

Austria, Ireland, Switzerland, Turkey and New Zealand are known to have objected to India’s candidature on the ground that there is no agreed upon procedure for it to become a member. Some reports indicated Brazil too had objected, though this was denied by Indian officials.

This would indicate China is isolated in the NSG. Beijing is believed to be opposing India’s membership as a favour to Islamabad, which fears that once India joins, there will be no possibility of Pakistan becoming a member.